The Big Story – Pats Open Training Camp: With the opening of camp on Tuesday football is back. And after the 2024 catastrophe, there is optimism the Pats’ sinking fortunes since you-know-who left the building may be about to end. It even has some talking playoffs, which seems a bit far-fetched. But with Drake Maye entering Year 2 and a host of new free agent signings led by new/old coach Mike Vrabel being brought home to right the ship, most are expecting a big jump from the 4-15 disaster of 2024. Time will tell.
Sports 101: Name the three pitchers to win a Cy Young, MVP and World Series all in the same year.
News Item – Things to Look For in Pats Camp:
Will Campbell – The top draft pick needs to make the most under-rated job in football the position of stability it hasn’t been since the end of the Brady era.
Receivers – Unless they can make a big jump in production, good-bye 2025 playoffs. And how long before Stefon Diggs goes off the reservation?
Play Calling – How do OC Josh McDaniels and Maye mesh? Will McDaniels force his system on Maye, or adapt it to what Maye does best?
Corners – How good can Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis be together? It’s the key to the D because the better they are the longer it takes receivers to get open, which gives the pass rush more time to harass the QB.
Mike Vrabel – After being killed by the passive coaching ofJerod Mayo last year it needs to be my-way-or-the-highway tough from Day 1.
News Item – Alumni News: Anyone else see that ex-Red Sox hurler Drew Pomeranz is still in the majors? I thought he retired years ago. But there he was on Sunday pitching in the eighth for the Cubs as he gave up a pinch-hit three-run homer from Alex Bregman to cement Boston’s 6-1 win. How he’s remained in the majors is another story as he’s 5-21 since leaving Boston in 2018 after going 17-9 for them in 2017.
The Numbers:
0 – wins against eight losses for the once great but now fading Justin Verlander in his first season in SF, when the ERA is 4.99.
3 – legs of winning a career major down for Scottie Scheffler as he breezed home by four shots Sunday to win the Open Championship (British Open) at 17 under par.
… Of the Week Awards
Thumbs Up – Alex Cora’s Analytics Adjustment: If you don’t think the lunacy of analytics has radically altered thinking in baseball, consider that the only .300 hitter in the Sox line-up during Sunday’s 6-1 win in Chicago was .311-hitting Romy Gonzalez, who hit ninth in the order. And it actually made sense. Because if you’re going to move your top hitters to first and second in the order, you should have people hitting in front of them who can get on base instead of a team’s worst hitters who usually hit eighth and ninth. First time I’ve seen someone using common sense to counteract analytics dictates.
Har-Dee-Har-Har Quote of the Week – Tyler Smith: Goes to the Cowboys Pro Bowl guard for saying upon arrival at camp, “Super Bowl champion. That’s always the expectation.”
Well, for those of us who’ve been watching since Barry Switzer won the 1995 SB with Jimmy Johnson’s players, we know Dallas hasn’t been a real contender since the owner drove Johnson out of town because he wanted more credit for the three title teams JJ built from scratch.
Random Thoughts
When did stealing signs become a major baseball crime? Because it once was an art that was looked up to.
After the Pats gave him away for nothing, keep an eye on what Joe Milton does when Dak Prescott goes down with the annual injury.
Sports 101 Answer: The pitchers who won the Cy Young, MVP and World Series in the same year are Sandy Koufax (1963), Denny McLain (1968) and Willie Hernandez (1984).
Final Thought – Thumbs Down – Name Hijacking: I hate the name Commanders. But I hate far more a wannabe king threatening to withhold U.S. taxpayer dollars to blackmail the Washington Football Club into bringing back a name he prefers as Donald Trump did last week. Hopefully the NFL has more guts to stand up to U.S. employee number 47 than baseball Coward-In-Chief Rob Manfred had when he caved to similar demands from the convicted felon to remove baseball’s objection to having Pete Rose on the Hall of Fame ballot even though he bet on baseball and lied about it for 15 years until he needed the truth to sell a book.
Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.